Christening is not just a church sacrament, but a rite during which a guardian angel appears in a person (regardless of age). It is believed that it is at this moment that a person is born spiritually. Therefore, the church recommends baptizing the baby as early as possible, on the eighth or fortieth day after birth. And at the end of the baptismal rite, many arrange a feast, prepare refreshments, congratulations to the baptized person and gifts.
First gifts and congratulations
It is customary to receive the very first gifts and congratulations with christenings from their godparents. During the ceremony, the godfather gives the baby a pectoral cross. It is important that it is not very massive, because it is a symbol of faith in the Almighty, and not wealth. It is best if the material from which it is made turns out to be silver.
From the godmother’s side, the first gifts are clothing items: bonnet, diaper, baptismal shirt. It is desirable that they be white. At the same time, natural fabric is chosen: cotton, linen or silk. Despite the fact that clothes cannot be worn after baptism, they are kept all their lives, like a talisman.
When choosing congratulations with christenings, it is necessary to focus on the spiritual side of the rite. The text should be sincere and from the heart. If you want to make any accompanying gift, it can be a Bible for children, books on church customs or an icon depicting a saint who is the patron saint of the child.
The ancient tradition of giving a silver spoon to christening does not lose its relevance today. Since the church believes that excessive luxury and brilliance are not characteristic of an Orthodox person, such a gift will come in handy. It is considered moderately sophisticated, modest and at the same time useful. A silver spoon may contain the text of the greeting with christening engraved on the back. This will give the gift even more value and significance.
How to mark christening
The church does not recommend noisy celebrations of christening, respectively, the whole celebration should be organized in a warm home environment or in a room that can be considered one. If the child is small, it is important that there are no strangers and noisy crowds. The more modest, the better - this rule should be followed in everything.
Congratulating the girl with christening, it is worth considering her age. If this is a small child, then wishes should be filled with faith in her bright future, spiritual health, obedience to adults. If she has already come out of infancy, then the congratulation should be more of a mentoring character, open so that the godmother feels the support, participation and care from both the godparents and parents.
How to congratulate a boy on baptism
To congratulate the boy on the christening, you do not need to look for any special words other than the wishes for the girl. First of all, it is worth remembering that this is a celebration of the birth of a person’s spiritual essence before the church. He takes on the church name (which, as a rule, is slightly different from what is recorded in the birth certificate), his guardian. From time immemorial, the text of the congratulation of the baptized boy contained the words of wish for a heroic spirit, courage, fidelity, honesty and courage. The boy, like the girl, is interested in the participation of godparents in his life, their willingness to provide all possible assistance, to develop spiritually and morally.
From the heart
For those who do not like to memorize texts in advance in verses or prose, spoken greetings with christening will be more appropriate. Since godparents on this day find for themselves a spiritually related child, they become the main persons responsible for his upbringing, attitude to church traditions, rites. Therefore, the words addressed in the congratulation should begin: "Our dear son" or "Our little daughter." And all that was said below should be perceived as if it were addressed to their own child.
For example, the text of a congratulation with christening may look like this:
- On behalf of the godparents: “Our dear daughter! Today, on such a bright holiday, we wish you peace and tranquility, prosperity and love of your relatives. May the Guardian Angel, which appeared at your place today, be a faithful companion throughout your long, happy, interesting life. Today we have found a beautiful daughter and we will love and protect you, as a native, to guide you on the right path and help in any life situation. ”
- On behalf of the parents: “Our son, our hero! You are our future support and support for family and loved ones. Congratulations on an important event in your life! Today you have become part of a large Orthodox family and found your faithful helper, who is called the Guardian Angel. Remember, son, that you will pass any test in this life if you are faithful to your heart and respect your family. And we with your godparents will help you in everything. ”